In general, hand-held rotary cutters are well known. Such cutters are of particular utility for cutting sheet material such as cloth and wallpaper, and typically comprise an elongate handle with a circular cutting blade rotatably fastened to one end. The user grasps the handle and rolls the circular cutting blade along the object to be cut, placing downward and forward pressure on the cutting wheel. Examples of such rotary cutters are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 278,103, issued May 22, 1883, to A. Curtis; U.S. Pat. No. 630,094, issued Aug. 1, 1899, to W. Noble; U.S. Pat. No. 306,783, issued June 17, 1919, to T. Smolinsky; U.S. Pat. No. 2,568,353, issued Sept. 18, 1951, to F. Misetta, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,180, issued May 4, 1954, to F. Schierghofer; U.S. Pat. No. 4,020,550, issued May 3, 1977, to Y. Okada; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,594, issued Nov. 24, 1981, to Y. Okada; U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,103, issued July 22, 1986, to M. Sugiyama; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,437, issued Mar. 7, 1989, to G. Saliaris.
Guard mechanisms to cover or otherwise limit access to the blade when the cutter is not in use are also well known. Examples of such guard mechanisms are described in the above-noted U.S. Pat. No. 1,306,783, issued June 17, 1919, to T. Smolinsky; U.S. Pat. No. 4,301,594, issued Nov. 24, 1981, to Y. Okada; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,103, issued July 22, 1986, to M. Sugiyama.
The prior art hand-held rotary cutters tend to be disadvantageous in a number of respects: they tend to be uncomfortable, and difficult to guide accurately, when exerting sufficient downward and forward force to effect cutting. In addition, it is desirable that the guard mechanism employed permit the blade to easily be exposed and retracted using one hand, and that the cutter be equally capable of use with either a right or left hand.